Teenage rugby star Ronan Costello died as the result of a tragic accident.

The 17-year-old Huddersfield Giants Academy player suffered fatal injuries during a match but an inquest heard that no-one is to blame for the tragedy.

The talented back-row forward was playing for the Giants Academy Under-19 side against Salford Red Devils at the Dram Centre, Rawthorpe, on Saturday, June 11.

An inquest attended by several members of his family at Bradford Coroner’s Court heard there had been no maliciousness involved in the tackle which happened around 30 minutes into the match. The game was immediately abandoned and Ronan died 72 hours later.

The promising youngster from Quarmby had played rugby since the age of six and signed a professional contract with Huddersfield Giants in July 2015.

Ronan Costello signing for the Giants

Witnesses at the match described how there had been no fighting or aggression among the players before Ronan was tackled by Salford’s Adam Jones and Aaron Moore.

Ronan, who had the ball, appeared to slip or stumble as he was tackled, causing his head or chin to come into contact with Mr Jones’s shoulder and resulting in him falling backwards.